The Indian equity markets closed sharply lower on Friday, capping a disappointing week. The Sensex lost 961.42 points, a 1.17% drop, ending at 81,287.19. Meanwhile, the Nifty declined by 317.90 points or 1.25% to 25,178.65, reflecting widespread pessimism among traders.
Selling was intense in realty and automobile stocks, dragging Nifty Realty down 2.26% and Nifty Auto by 1.86%. The pain spread across sectors: FMCG shed 1.69%, metals 1.67%, financial services 1.55%, pharma 1.50%, consumption 1.48%, and healthcare 1.41%.
IT provided some relief, climbing 0.16%, alongside consumer durables (0.17%) and media (0.60%). Largecaps led the decline, but mid and smallcaps weren’t immune. Nifty Midcap 100 dipped 1.14% to 59,115.60, and Nifty Smallcap 100 fell 1.10% to 16,928.90.
Sensex gainers included HCL Tech, Trent, Infosys, and Eternal, while heavyweights like Sun Pharma, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finserv, Indigo, M&M, Maruti Suzuki, UltraTech Cement, HUL, Kotak Mahindra Bank, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Finance, Power Grid, Tata Steel, ITC, and HDFC Bank posted losses.
Key triggers included sustained FII selling—Rs 3,465.99 crore on Thursday—escalating oil prices due to stalled Iran-US talks, rupee depreciation, and subdued international markets. WTI crude rose 1.63% to $66.25/barrel, Brent up 1.38% to $71.86. As tensions simmer, market participants remain cautious, watching for policy signals and global trends.